Tatakai
by OjIkA
Summary: Harry, abused by his relatives, disappears on September the first. When he comes back a year later, hes changed. But is it for better or worse? HPHG. R&R please
1. Chapter 1

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TATAKAI

CHAPTER ONE

_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart  
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold  
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore_

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

_When you feel all alone  
And a loyal friend is hard to find  
You're caught in a one way street  
With the monsters in your head  
When hopes and dreams are far away and  
You feel like you can't face the day_

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

_'Cause there has always been heartache and pain  
And when it's over you'll breathe again  
You'll breath again_

_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please  
To tame your wild wild heart_

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

_(Crash and Burn: Savage Garden)_

Harry Potter laid on his bed, wearing only a pair of shorts, in a small, enclosed space. The cupboard. In his hands was the small penknife Sirius gave him not two years ago. His trunk lay squishes up under the bed and his wand had been taken the second he got back (he would never think of this place as 'home') and locked in the kitchen drawer. Due to his lack of a shirt, Harry's chest was clearly visible, covered in dark bruises and cuts, his ribs sticking out prominently.

He stared at the roof, eyes blank and emotionless, and did not notice the door open and close of its own accord. That summer had been the worst in his entire existence. Harry's uncle had discovered that Sirius died and reckoned he had 'no reason to be scared of the boy, he never fought back and the freaks from the nuthouse couldn't do anything'. This, of course, had sent Harry into a deep depression ad he hadn't eaten or slept in weeks.

He hadn't said a word and only came out of his isolation was to perform the household tasks, after which he would retreat to the seclusion of the cupboard. His uncle thought him broken and was surprised at first when the boy didn't flinch at his blow. Truth was, Harry thought he deserved it. In his eyes, he was the reason that Sirius died, that his parents died, that all his friends were hurt.

Of course the Dursleys did nothing to help, telling him he was a freak and deserved to join his 'worthless godfather'. Just to label how pathetic he was his uncle went into the tiny room and carved the word 'FREAK' into Harry's chest in big, angry letters. Such was his holiday, everyday the same, he lost track of the date drowning in his guilt, his grief and self-loathing.

One day however stood out in his mind, he had had a strange dream. Harry could remember every detail.

F.L.A.S.H.B.A.C.K 

Harry sat up, looking around wildly. He seemed to be in some strange Asian garden, it was beautiful. A small pond reflected the feeble sunlight, causing lights to dance on the wall nest to it, from behind, which a woman stepped out.

She was short and petite, with a pale, delicate face. She was obviously Japanese and wore a white silk kimono adorned with pink cherry blossoms. An aura of power radiated out from her, but it was not hostile. 

"_Hello, my name is Shidosha, are you Harry Potter?" she said in a soft voice._

"_Yes, I'm Harry, where am I?" he asked, slowing backing up till he reached the fence._

"_Of course, sorry, _gomen nasai,_ you are in Morioka, in Japan" Shidosha replied._

"_Why am I here? Why did you bring me here?" Harry asked, grimacing when he hit his head on a hanging ornament. Shidosha giggled._

"_You are here," she said, crossing the bridge that separated them "because the _taisho_ demanded it. I am in the year 1864 but have been told to give you a message from my granddaughter. They have heard about your destiny and wish to offer you protection and training for the upcoming war. The, war, which will shape the fate of the world."_

"_What kind of training?" he asked, curious. Shidosha then proceeded to explain that they would teach him wandless magic, hand-to-hand combat and train him in the way of tactics. Apparently he would also receive new powers._

_Harry mentally weighed up the pros and the cons but in the end decided he had to stay with Ron and Hermione. _**Hermione.**_ He opened his mouth to speak but the Japanese woman raised her hand, cutting him off._

"_I understand. However if you change your mind, you need only to focus as hard as you possibly can on this garden and no matter where you are, you will be transported here. I must go now, Harry, sayonara"_

_With that she vanished and Harry woke up._

_E.N.D F.L.A.S.H.B.A.C.K_

Harry was torn out of his musings by a loud yell of "BOY!" followed by a threat to do something that would end in pain. It didn't matter though; Harry had stopped feeling about three weeks ago. No matter how hard he was hit, or with what, he didn't feel any pain. He had built up a resistance or gotten used to it, or something along those lines.

His uncles yelling was getting closer and suddenly the door was thrown open and Vernon grabbed Harry's hair and dragged him into the hall. Seeing the boy didn't react he threw his meaty hand into his stomach and was rewarded still with no reaction. He continued to hit the boy and after one particularly hard right hook, Harry fell over.

While he was regaining his balance, his uncle took advantage of his weakened state and wrenched his arm out of place, pulling him up the stairs. The beefy man pushed him into a spare room and began yelling and pointing but Harry really couldn't care less. Seeing his lack of interest, his uncle began to hit him again.

Harry rolled out into the hallway and Vernon stopped kicking him at the top of the stairs giving him time to stand up before he drew his fist back and caught Harry in the stomach. He was sent flying down the stairs. Still he made no noise.

His uncle disappeared for a few seconds before coming back into view holding a box of matches. The smile on his face meant they probably weren't going on a cake.

"Funny isn't it, all this time and I never thought of fire," he said casually as if talking to a friend over tea.

"Probably just too bloody thick more like it," Harry said, speaking for the first time. His voice was hoarse, not having been used in months.

His uncle shoved him into the small cupboard and Harry hit his head on the sharp corner of the bed, making him light-headed and dizzy. Upon doing this, the fat man smiled and lit up a match, illuminating his red face. He threw the match onto the boy's bare chest- and he didn't even flinch. Harry was pushed onto the bed and in his half-conscious state his uncle tied him up

"Scream boy, scream" his uncle taunted, lighting another match. But Harry wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Harry never cried, never begged, and never screamed. His uncle could say whatever he liked about Hogwarts- it wasn't going to make much difference. Harry let his uncle trash-talk him, his school, his owl, his kind but he snapped when his mother was mentioned.

"Your mother screamed- she begged for me to stop," Vernon said with a sick smile on his face. It was wiped off when the restraints holding him snapped and Harry launched himself at the larger man and began pounding his fists into the red and pudgy face. His uncle, unfortunately, caught his arm and in a 'snap' had broken his wrist. Now Vernon was pissed.

Harry found himself being pushed and kicked to the bathroom, where the tub lay, full of water. He took a breath; bracing himself- he knew what was going to happen. His head was thrust into the water and he weakly struggled back. Harry could still hear his uncle goading him.

After a while Harry was starting to feel heavy and tired. _Am I dying? _He ceased to struggle and lay still in the water, hoping his uncle would walk away and leave him. Vernon was a very stupid man- he insulted Harry's mother again.

"_She_ stopped trying too, just lay there crying. Pathetic bitch." He sneered, thinking the boy to be unconscious or maybe even dead, he thought with a gleeful smile. He was sadly mistaken however, when Harry, hearing the last comment, brought his head out of the water and turned to face his uncle.

Vernon was terrified in the moment was scared. His nephew, the scrawny kid who never defended himself was standing tall ad defiant, his eyes blazing with anger, hate and a thirst for revenge. Harry moved so suddenly his uncle was on the floor before he knew what had happened, a large piece of broken glass at his throat.

Harry stood up and wordlessly summoned his trunk to him. Another wave of his hand and his wand appeared floating next to him. He snatched it up quickly and pointed it at his uncle who was shaking on the floor.

"You talk about my mother again and I will kill you," he said icily "I'm going now"

And with that he vanished. Unbeknownst to him the whole of Hogwarts School had been watching.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

_I know you're hurting  
Feels like you're learning  
'Bout life the hard way  
And it ain't working_

_Seems like forever  
That you've been falling  
It's time to move on  
You're life is calling, yeah_

_This was never meant to be the end  
Close the book and start again_

_Cause I know how hard it can get  
But you gotta lift  
You gotta lift  
And sometimes that's how it is  
But I know you're stronger  
Stronger than this  
You gotta lift  
You gotta lift_

_When you can feel your  
Whole body's aching  
What's left of your heart  
It won't stop breaking  
You gotta let go  
You took a hit  
Time to pick up now  
Move on from this_

_This was never meant to be the end  
Close the book and start again_

_Cause I know how hard it can get  
But you gotta lift  
You gotta lift  
And sometimes that's how it is  
But I know you're stronger  
Stronger than this  
You gotta_

_Lift yourself up above all the hurt  
Don't give it  
Wipe your eyes and remember  
You're better than this  
Let them know  
That they took their best shot  
And missed  
C'mon and lift_

_(Lift: Shannon Noll)_

Hermione Granger was worried. She hadn't heard from Harry all summer, and she knew that he needed someone right now. But now, he was nowhere to be seen. Hermione searched the platform for him, but saw no sign of the Boy-Who-Lived. Hermione was growing frantic.

_What if the Dursleys have done something terrible to him?_ She thought, but convinced she that Harry was just on the train and everything was okay. In her heart, Hermione knew it wasn't. Harry couldn't be okay after all that had happened, he believed no one loved him- but Hermione did. She always had, she couldn't help it.

So, boarding the train, the bushy-haired girl went to the prefect's carriage to meet Ron. The meeting went by quickly, but not quickly enough for Hermione, who dragged her tall redheaded friend out to help her look.

They searched every compartment, but there was no sign of Harry anywhere. For some reason, Ron wasn't worried. If anything, he looked bored. _Stupid Harry _he thought _always has to be dramatic, soaking up all the attention._

Truth was, he was jealous, not that he would ever admit it. Ron was always shunted to the side whenever he was with the raven-haired boy. Harry got the money, the fame, the attention, and the glory and now he had Hermione. At this moment Ron hated him.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence, neither daring to speak, except when Ron said that Harry had sent Hedwig to his house for the summer. Hermione took the owl, glad to finally be able to do something.

They went quietly to the Great Hall and took their seats, ignoring the looks people kept throwing there way, noticing the absence of a skinny, bespectacled boy. None of the teachers saw this, only realising he wasn't there when Draco Malfoy stood up and said in a ringing voice, that the whole hall could hear

"Where's Potter?" The whispers broke out. Harry Potter was missing! This would be front-page news. Dumbledore remained calm, and withdrew a small, silver orb labelled a 'WatcherSphere' from his pocket. Hermione had read about those, they were charmed so when you spoke a person's name, it would find their location. All it took was a simple incantation and you could see everything through the orb and the person wouldn't know.

"Find me Harry Potter," he said clearly and the WatcherSphere flew off into the night. He raised his wand, about to perform the spell when Severus Snape knocked his arm, resulting in the whole hall getting hit. Every person became completely blind to the hall, instead seeing flashes of countryside. It was strangely thought, as if in a big bubble.

_Oh God! We all see it!_ Hermione realised. The WatcherSphere was slowing down, it was in a residential area, and passing houses when Hermione saw a sight that made her blood run cold. Number 4 Privet Drive.

A soft "no" escaped her lips, while other students were wondering what was so bad about this house._ Please be all right Harry, please don't be hurt_ she prayed as the orb entered the house and instead of heading for a bedroom went to a small door under the stairs.

Everyone gasped when they saw a bruised and under-fed boy lying on a thin mattress. Then people recognised it as Harry Potter. Hermione felt her heart break at the lost look in his eyes and felt tears well up in her own when she saw Sirius' knife in his hand. Dumbledore noticed it too and asked if anyone knew what it was.

Hermione raised her head and said, "It was from Sirius" Her voice trembled and she barely contained her tears. Harry rolled over and everyone saw the word carved into his skin 'FREAK'. Hermione started to cry.

Just then, his whale of an uncle burst into the room and only Snape noticed that Harry stayed the same and didn't react at all, showing no emotion. Hermione began to shake when he grabbed Harry by his hair and started raining blows down on him. Hermione thought it was strange that Harry didn't make a noise.

The school watched in sick fascination as Harry was dragged up the stairs and into a room, still being hit mercilessly. Hermione felt nauseous, seeing the pain that Harry was in- only he wasn't in pain. He hadn't made a noise the whole time, not even being kicked repeatedly in the ribs and stomach.

_No!_ Hermione saw Vernon swing his fist back and gave a muffled scream when Harry flew down the stairs. A majority of the female population was crying for the horror that had been brought upon the bright young man.

Hermione began to shake uncontrollably when the beefy man produced a box of matches from what looked like a kitchen and began talking to Harry as if about something trivial and nonchalant, like the weather. When Harry finally spoke Hermione detected a flicker of life in his eyes.

Vernon was furious and threw Harry back in the cupboard. Lighting a match and tying the boy up, Hermione felt sick as she watched the small flame burn her best friends skin, unable to look away and unable to help.

Remus Lupin ran out of the hall, and started the _long_ run to the gates, where he would apparate to 4 Privet Drive. Hermione knew he would be too late when Harry was pulled and pushed to a bathroom down the hall. Her eyes widened when she saw what was going to happen. _No, he's going to kill him! Fight back Harry, please_ Hermione thought, sobbing. She was shaking violently and needed to be held up by Dean Thomas.

Hermione tried to pull out of the effects of the spell, she didn't want to see anymore, and Harry had stopped struggling. There were many dry sobs when there was no more movement from the small, raven-haired boy. They turned to angry gasps when Vernon Dursley insulted Lily Potter, over the body of what he thought to be her dead son.

A number of people jumped when Harry reared his head, taking a deep breath and standing. Hermione felt her heart unclench, if only a little. She saw the life in his eyes and let herself hope for one moment that Harry would remain the same old Harry, the one she fell in love with. But in her heart she knew Vernon had gone too far, Harry was not coming back.

"Talk about my mother again and I will kill you", he said with his wand levelled at his beefy relative. Hermione put her head in her hands- he was definitely not coming back. With his bit said, he vanished into thin air. A second later Remus burst through the door. He lowered his head and disapparated.

Hermione broke down and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE 

_I know you think that I shouldn't still love you,  
or tell you that.  
But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it  
where's the sense in that? _

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder  
Or return to where we were

I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be   


_  
I know I left too much mess and  
destruction to come back again  
And I caused nothing but trouble  
I understand if you can't talk to me again  
And if you live by the rules of "it's over"  
then I'm sure that that makes sense_

I will go down with this ship   
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

And when we meet  
Which I'm sure we will  
All that was there  
Will be there still  
I'll let it pass  
And hold my tongue  
And you will think  
That I've moved on...

I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

I will go down with this ship  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender  
There will be no white flag above my door  
I'm in love and always will be

_(White Flag: Dido)_

(One year later in Morioka, Japan)

Harry awoke with a start. He was bundled up in his sheets, drenched in a cold sweat, shivering. He had just had a dream- Voldemort was going to attack Hogwarts on Halloween. Not just Death Eaters, Voldemort himself was going, considering it the final showdown. He had to tell the _taisho._

Harry looked at his watch. Four o'clock, it read. He could tell the _taisho _at a more suitable hour. He got up and dressed in simple black pants and a singlet. His weapons hung on the wall behind him. Three different swords, throwing knifes, daggers, and a bow and arrow lined the back wall of his room.

Harry was a samurai warrior- not the muggle kind, they all died out. No, he was a part of an elite group of assassins, sworn to protect the magical world. He was trained to fight with weapons _and _magic ad was an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Harry could perform any spell wandless and soundlessly with ease, teleport himself anywhere in the world, regardless of wards, and turn into his favourite animal, a wolf.

He wandered outside, barefoot and began his training- run to the top of the mountain, push ups, it ups, chin ups, weapons training, run back down the mountain, eat breakfast, go to the building at the edge of the village to learn beyond NEWT level work. Such had been his routine for the past twelve months.

About an hour later Harry returned, sweating only slightly and not tired in the least. He greeted his neighbours as he passed and politely declined the offers to 'come in and have some tea', making his way back to his foster family.

They had taken him in when he arrived, bruised and beaten, barely conscious. He had been returned to normal health and continued to live with them to this day. Taka, the mother of Magojiro and Higen, wife of Hirotoro, waved him over and they all sat down to breakfast.

After he had eaten and showered, Harry dressed and went to the village leaders, telling them of the dream he had. They knew about his connection to Tom Riddle and they left the room to decide on a course of action. It was their duty to protect the castle and send their best warriors to do it.

"Harry we have decided that Samara will go," spoke the _taisho._ He had adopted her five years ago and she was skilled with muggle guns and pistols. Harry had been expecting it to be her, what he had not expected, however, was what they said next.

"You will go as well." Harry's jaw dropped and he quickly snapped it shut. They thought he was one of the best? They thought he should go? _What is it with barmy old men and their crazy suggestions? Dumbledore I could understand but now the council?_ He ended his train of thought when the _taisho_ began to speak again.

"We believe you are ready to go back. They will need you in this war," he said with a small smile on his face. They all knew that the young man had fallen in love back in England and couldn't wait to see him happy again. Harry missed Hermione dearly. Without hesitation he accepted and went to pack his possessions.

Harry went and prepared Ujio, his horse. He stood tall and proud, with a brilliant black coat and blood red eyes. He had been a birthday present from Taka and Hirotoro.

When all his stuff was ready Harry went to the town square and met up with Samara. They said a goodbye to all the people assembled, promising to visit and without another word, both melted into the darkness.

When Harry straightened up and looked around his heart soared. He was finally back at Hogwarts. Then yelling was heard from what he knew was the Great Hall. Silently both the soldiers made their way up to the huge castle. What they saw, peeking through giant windows was a bushy haired girl glaring at a lanky redheaded boy, both with unadulterated hate in their eyes.

Ron said something and through the thick walls Harry barely heard what it was, but he got the message anyway.

"What's the matter Mudblood? Miss your psychotic pal?" he sneered. Hermione felt her blood boil. Ron had just insulted _Harry._ The one who had saved his pathetic ass more times than she could count. The one, who had defended them, put his life in danger for them, the one she loved. She stood and quickly crossed the hall and before he could react had slapped Ron hard across the face, leaving a bog red handprint.

"How dare you touch me," he hissed and began moving towards the end of the table, striding forward raising his hand. Hermione knew he had no problem hitting a girl and did so on occasion. But before he could do anything Ginny Weasley stood up and slapped him across the other side of his face.

"How dare _you_," the smaller redhead seethed. Ron's face was going redder every minute and Harry was just about to smash through the window and pummel the redhead himself. He didn't care that he had insulted him but he was about to hit Hermione! Samara had to use all her strength to restrain the extremely angry teen.

Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of hooded Death Eaters who she quickly pointed out. Samara nodded to Harry and he moved quickly, vanishing and reappearing behind the group of scouts, and silently moved towards the crowd of Death Eaters.

Sparing a glance at the Great Hall, he saw Ron raise his hand again and Harry quickly pounded his fists on the ground, resulting in a great explosion. He got the reactions he wanted. Ron quickly lowered is arm, the teachers and some old DA members rushed outside and the Death Eaters saw him, moving into action, surrounding him.

Lightning fast Harry began to kick and punch, moving around the circle, adding magic to strengthen the blows. Samara sat back and let him do it himself, it was dangerous to get in his way.

The teachers ran outside, wands at the ready, not aware they were being followed by Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean, Seamus and Colin. When the smoke and dust from the explosion cleared, what they saw simply dumbfounded them. A lone figure was fighting of twenty Death Eaters, another standing off to the side. But that was not what surprised them. What surprised all those present was that that single person, fighting only with his fists, was winning.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_Here I am, _

_lost in the light of the moon _

_that comes through my window  
_

_Bathed in blue,_

_the walls of my memory divide_

_the thorns from the roses  
It's you and the roses _

Touch me and I will follow

_in your afterglow  
Heal me from all this sorrow  
As I let you go_

_I will find my way _

_when I see your eyes  
Now I'm living in your afterglow _

Here I am,

_lost in the ashes of time,_

_but who wants tomorrow?  
In between_

_the longing to hold you again  
I'm caught in your shadow,_

_I'm losing control  
My mind drifts away, _

_we only have today _

Touch me and I will follow

_in your afterglow  
Heal me from all this sorrow  
As I let you go _

_I will find my way  
I will sacrifice_

_'til the blinding day _

_when I see your eyes  
Now I'm living in your afterglow _

When the faith has gone

_as I let you go, _

_as I let you go _

Touch me and I will follow

_in your afterglow  
Heal me from all this sorrow  
As I let you go I will find my way,_

_I will sacrifice  
Now I'm living in your afterglow _

Bathed in blue,

_the walls of my memory divide_

_the thorns from the roses  
It's you who is closest_

_(Afterglow: INXS)_

Harry loved this. He moved gracefully, almost, moving and twisting his limbs in moves that looked like they shouldn't be possible. The Death Eaters didn't stand a chance, they were already reduced to half their numbers, and Harry wasn't even trying. When he heard a noise behind him he turned sharply and saw the occupants of Hogwarts crossing the grounds, wands drawn.

He signalled to Samara and she hurried to meet them before they got involved, it was best not to get too close to the young samurai when he was in his element. Suddenly, one of the older pureblood Death Eaters drew out a sword, probably an old family heirloom. _Pathetic_ Harry thought _He can't even hold it right._

Harry withdrew his own katana from within the folds of his cloak and blocked the attack. The other Death Eaters followed and conjured up weapons of their own. _Now its getting interesting_ he though, twisting and sliding, seeming to flow from one move to the next. Within ten seconds all his opponents were on the ground knocked out cold.

Hermione was watching the mysterious fighter with great interest. _He's amazing_ she thought, marvelling at his speed and precision. Suddenly he disappeared only to materialize right in front of the group. Hermione saw he was tall and could tell he was powerful- it was rolling off him in waves.

For some strange reason, she felt like she used to know him, like she had known him all her life. Hermione was puzzled. _Where did that come from?_ She studied the two people in front of her, not very well though, for their hoods were still covering their faces.

One was obviously a woman, small and curvaceous with blonde hair spilling over her cloak. Her partner was as she already said, tall and underneath his shirt, they could all see he was muscular, but lean. After a few moments of silence Dumbledore began to ask questions about the strangers.

"What are your names?" he asked, knowing they were not evil, but it was better to be safe then sorry.

"A name is just a name," the man answered cryptically, smiling slightly under his hood. Harry finally got to turn the tables on the old man.

Dumbledore seemed to find this enough, surprisingly, and asked the next best question. "Would you please roll up your sleeves?" he asked politely.

Harry and Samara looked at each other, seeming to communicate silently and simultaneously rolled up the sleeves, revealing their left forearms. They bore no Dark Mark, but instead, both had a small, black tattoo. It looked to be Japanese and Hermione recognised it on the man as the symbol for '_courage'_ and on the woman, '_spirit'_.

Harry decided to have some fun and turned to Neville, on Dumbledore's right. "Hey Neville, what's it like being the 'Chosen One'?" he asked, smirking at the incredulous looks on peoples faces. He heard Samara laughing inside his head. Luna stepped forward.

"How did you know about that?" she asked, her voice firm, no longer dreamy and far away. Harry looked her over, noticing how much she had grown up. She used to be so little!

"I listen, I watch," he answered, still not giving anything away. Seeing the look on McGonagall's face he added with a smile "Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you. Except for maybe Ron- are you okay Hermione?" She looked up sharply and saw concern etched on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine," mumbled the bushy haired girl. Only her hair wasn't bushy anymore, but hung in stunning curls to just above her shoulders. She had grown as well, not too tall, and she had grown small curves in all the right places. To Harry she was _perfect_

Hermione was getting a little scared, the strange man continued to stare at her and she pleaded to whatever god was listening for something to distract him Luckily McGonagall noticed her discomfort and began firing questions at them, but Harry was still incapable of speech, still staring at Hermione. The poor girl looked kind of scared.

Samara answered the questions as best she could, while trying not to give too much away. She decided to answer truthfully and told them she was nineteen. They all looked astonished. Samara smiled; hardly able not to laugh when she told them Harry was only seventeen- Flitwick fainted.

The students watching from the windows were in awe- that guy just took out twenty odd Death Eaters by himself and didn't have a scratch on him. Now him and his friend were talking to the teachers like it was nothing.

Suddenly the two figures looked at each other and in perfect unison, turned to Dumbledore and inclined their heads in goodbye. They then melted into the shadows, leaving nothing but their defeated opposition and a stunned audience in their wake.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_I've been holding on to a love gone wrong_

_It's true, for too long_

_The hurt it left inside_

_Has made me want to hide _

_Too much, and I do_

_I'm not afraid to be alone_

_The truth is I'm all right_

_Bt something had been missing from my life_

_Maybe tonight_

_Maybe I'll fall_

_Maybe he'll crash through m walls_

_Maybe at last_

_Love will some back_

_And take me deep into his arms_

_Maybe the heart that comes apart finally mends_

_Maybe tonight I'll finally fall in love again_

_Cried a lot of tears_

_Faced a lot of fears_

_To get right here_

_Every chapter ends _

_Before the right one can begin again_

_In the story of love_

_And maybe tonight_

_Maybe I'll fall_

_Maybe he'll crash through my walls_

_Maybe at last_

_Love will come back_

_And take me deep into his arms_

_Maybe the heart that comes apart finally mends_

_Maybe tonight I'll finally fall in love again_

_I'm ready for another chance_

_But right now that's enough_

_I know I will survive whatever comes_

_And maybe tonight_

_Maybe I'll fall_

_Maybe he'll crash through my walls_

_Maybe at last_

_Love will come back_

_And take me deep into his arms_

_Maybe the heart that comes apart finally mends_

_Maybe tonight I'll finally fall in love again_

_Maybe tonight I'll finally fall in love again_

_Maybe tonight I'll finally fall in love again_

_Maybe tonight I'll finally fall in love again_

_(Maybe Tonight: Kate DeArouge)_

Hermione was puzzled. Why had that stranger been so concerned about her welfare? She remembered back to a year ago, when Harry had disappeared. Hermione had fled to her dormitory and refused to come out for days. Lavender and Parvati had brought her food and homework but it was all left untouched.

Then, after a few days, Ginny had burst into the room and had demanded that she get out of bed. When the brunette refused, Ginny told Hermione that her best friend was insulting and ridiculing her, hanging out with Malfoy and sitting with the Slytherins. Turned out to be true. Hermione had decided to make reappearance. After that things went back to normal, or as normal as they could get without Harry.

Neville had started training- but he was still hopeless and wouldn't stand a chance against Voldemort- Ginny had started a course in healing, Ron had become a sort of honorary Slytherin, and was now flanked by Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle at all times. He hated the Gryffindors and wouldn't talk to any of them, unless it was to say something nasty about them or their family. Ron had also developed an interest in bloodlines and only talked to pureblood Slytherins. Most of the school just avoided him.

The rest of the Weasley family was disgusted by his pureblood-mania and would only allow him home for the holidays if he let it go. Of course, Hermione was always welcome. But she declined every holiday- it brought back too many memories of Harry. She missed him so much. Little did she know, he felt the same.

Harry and Samara had finally stopped laughing and took off their cloaks. They both set up camp and Harry made a small fire. With that, they laid down to sleep. This would have been easy, but Harry couldn't stop thinking about Hermione. Staring into the dancing flames, he thought about the girl who had captured his heart. She was _perfect._ Her face was the last thing he saw in his mind before sleep overcame him.

Hermione woke up a few days later, groggy and disoriented. The light shining through the windows was dim and feeble, so she went to the common room. Last night when the stranger showed his concern for her, she reasoned that he was some person spying on the castle and had seen her and felt sorry for her, learning her name through the students whispers. God knows there was enough gossip, no one needed to know the mysterious person knew who she was.

Hermione decided to take a walk; it was easier to think in the fresh air. So grabbing her scarf and cloak, she left the common room and began meander around the lake. After about half an hour, she was nearing the Forbidden Forest and quickened her pace, knowing the type of things that inhabited it. Unfortunately in her haste she didn't see the huge monster descending behind her.

The spider moved down the tree and when it was a metre away from the bushy haired girl (I know I said it wasn't bushy but I am still going to call her that) it struck out suddenly. Hermione wasn't quick enough, and was bitten by the large arachnid on her shoulder. She screamed and tried to run but the acromantula grabbed her around the waist and began to drag her back to its awaiting pincers.

Hermione was kicking and struggling with all her might, but it made no difference. Suddenly, she felt something pulling her to the ground and did so just in time, seeing knives flying through the air, aimed at the creature. They all hit the spider in the centre of its head and it keeled over, wriggling weakly.

Hermione looked up to see her rescuer was none other than the mysterious hooded figure from the other night. Lumbering to her feet, swaying dangerously, she felt a sharp pain course through her shoulder. Glancing down, Hermione saw her shoulder and clothes covered in blood. _Funny, that wasn't there before_ she thought hazily and staggered backwards, when another wave of hurt hit her. The cloaked figure quickly moved to help her, steadying her with strong arms. Hermione collapsed and Harry caught her, lifting her into his arms, before calling Ujio.

The huge stallion appeared a moment later and Harry raised Hermione up so she could mount the steed. _This isn't supposed to be happening, Hermione was the calm one, she can't faint!_ Harry thought, and jumped up on the horses back when it became clear Hermione was going to fall off without help, barely registering that he was still bare-chested, dressed for training.

He sat behind her and when she began to sway Harry wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close. He was surprised when Hermione didn't pull back, but leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder. Of course, she was barely conscious and didn't know what was happening. He chose to ignore that. Ujio walked slowly up to the school and Harry carried her off the stallion and shadow teleported to the Room of Requirement, laying her down on the bed that appeared in the corner. After checking she was okay and wouldn't bleed to death, Harry then went to the sixth year girl's dormitory, looking for the youngest Weasley.

He spotted her vivid red hair and silently moved to wake her, keeping his hand over her mouth. She was awake in a flash, wand at the ready. Harry had been expecting that- she grew up with Fred and George. He stepped back and raised his hands to show he meant no harm and said quietly, "Hermione's hurt"

Ginny quickly dragged him into the deserted common room and demanded to know what was going on. Harry quickly explained in as few words as possible, "Hermione was walking and got attacked by an acromantula, she's in the Room of Requirement, and please don't ask questions."

The small girl couldn't help but notice the figure had an _extremely_ nice body, but at the same time, it felt wrong to look at him like that, like he was her brother or something. Pushing that aside Ginny hurried up the stairs and grabbed her equipment, prepared to walk out the portrait when Harry grabbed her and dragged her over to a dark corner of the room muttering, "This is faster"

In less than a second they appeared in a room unfamiliar to her, but the brunette lying on the bed was. Running to her side, Ginny dropped her bag and pulled out what she would need to fix her friend's injuries.

Harry paced the room, oblivious to all around him, all he needed to know was if Hermione was okay. He continued to walk back and forth, lost in thought until Ginny moved up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Harry turned around; knife at the ready, but let it go when he saw his old friend.

"I've fixed her shoulder and there wont be any scars, but she'll probably be a bit jumpy for a while," the redhead explained, when she had gotten over he shock of having a blade at her neck and after a moments hesitation added "but she won't wake up"

Harry nodded and moved across the room, picking up the unconscious girl, holding her close to him. Ginny was an observant girl and saw the amount of care with which he handled Hermione and mentally made a note of it. Harry carried her to the corner of the room and was about to teleport away when the redhead jumped forward, demanding to know 'what the hell are you doing?'

He replied, saying that if Hermione wouldn't wake up then it would be better for her to be in her dorm, in case someone comes in here. Ginny could make her excuses and it would be less suspicious if she were in her own bed. Harry looked at Ginny and saw her indecision, without another word, grabbed her arm and teleported away.

They appeared out of thin air in the seventh year girl's room, and Harry was thankful to see that everyone else was still asleep. Not knowing which bed belonged to his friend, he looked questionably at Ginny, who got the hint and led the way to a bed on the other side of the room.

Harry lay Hermione down gently on the bed, quickly muttering a spell under his breath. It was Japanese and very helpful getting blood out of clothing. Turning to the youngest Weasley, he saw she looked a little scared. _Am I really that frightening?_ He thought.

"You cannot tell anyone what you saw this morning," he spoke softly, in a low voice that held no malice "you cannot tell anyone that I was here, and you cannot tell anyone Hermione was injured. Do you understand? I know Hermione will want to know what happened, tell her as best you can"

As Ginny quickly nodded her head, he heard movement over in a different bed, and vanished. The redhead ran out of the room, leaving the dormitory and Hermione. As soon as she left two pairs of curtains were pulled back and the confused faces of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were revealed.

Parvati looked at Lavender as if to say '_What was that all about?'_ This went unnoticed by her friend who was looking around the room with a hopeful expression on her face. It was finally understood when she voiced her question.

"Was there a boy in here?" she asked, smiling

* * *

Hermione woke a little while later to see that she was alone in her room and the sun was up. She had no idea what had happened since she went to bed last night, so the bushy haired girl got up and went to breakfast, checking her watch. She was surprised to see it was scratched and the glass was cracked.

She looked down and saw she was fully dressed, shoes and all, and her hair was up in a ponytail. Hermione was really confused now. She had a splitting headache for some reason had a strange feeling she was covered in blood. She quickly changed out of the clothes.

Making her way down to the Entrance Hall she saw her roommates all looking at her strangely. _Do they know what happened?_ She was about to go and ask them, when she saw Ginny trying to catch her attention further down the table.

She sat down next to her redheaded friend and looked at her. Ginny looked pale and tired, with bags under her eyes. Hermione eyed the youngest Weasley while she ate, but she held her own and kept silent. Finally, when both girls left the Hall, Ginny led the older girl to the Room of Requirement. Once inside, she relayed the events of that morning.

Hermione was shocked- she got attacked by a giant spider? The stranger from the other night saved her? This was getting confusing. She needed to see what happened, needed to remember. As if the room heard her thoughts a Pensieve appeared on the other side of the room. She got to work, but it was no use, she couldn't remember a thing. The only person who could help her was the samurai.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat in his comfortable office, fingertips pressed together, eyes twinkling. It had been a week since Hermione had been attacked, yes he knew about that, and there had been at least four eyewitness reports of large groups of Death Eaters getting beaten back by two figures, hooded and cloaked, using muggle techniques. They were the same two people he had met on September 1st, he was sure of it.

The only thing he was missing was the knowledge of what happened during the incident with the spider. Hagrid had discovered the massive carcass during one of his lessons and it had been buried accordingly. All he needed was that memory. He had been pressuring the seventh year for it, even resorting to Veritaserum, but it was of no avail- she couldn't remember anything about that morning.

For the first time in his very long life, Dumbledore didn't know what he was going to do.

* * *

Harry watched the castle, particularly well that week. He knew that the old headmaster would figure it out and he also knew Hermione wouldn't remember anything. He had made it so; they would search for him and the knowledge of what had taken place in the small clearing. Harry knew he had to give them the memory soon, but it was so much fun-he got to outsmart the Order of the Phoenix.

He couldn't help but overhear a private conversation between Dumbledore and Snape, and from it, learned that they were beginning to think the two girls delusional. Not surprisingly, it was the Potions Master who suggested this. _Well, we can't have that_ he thought and extracted the memory, carefully erasing his face, and altered his surroundings.

He was a master in Occlumency and Legimency and could perform such tasks with ease. Harry teleported to the girls room and saw Hedwig. She had taken a liking to Hermione after he had disappeared, but knew whom he was and flew over and began to nip his face and hands, seemingly overjoyed to have him back.

He quickly wrote a note and attached it and the bottle containing the silver memory, to the snowy owls leg. Harry watched her take off out the window, turning towards the Great Hall with all the other owls.

With that done, he retreated back to the forest. Voldemort was coming soon and he had to be ready. He also didn't want Samara to shoot him.


End file.
